Beauty, like kindness, is a word and concept that has been watered down to a meaning that is close to the original intent but misses it completely. Beauty and attractiveness are not opposites, but they are also not the same thing. Beauty is weighted and involves the whole of a person, place, or thing.
I googled beauty this week and what came up were skin care adds, weight loss programs, and make up products. This idea of beauty is a lie. These promise attractiveness and a superficial experience of “beauty” that I would contend is not really beauty at all.
Fairy tales understand this concept. The wicked stepmother of Snow White would ask the mirror who was the fairest of all, and the mirror would answer Snow White every time. Snow White was depicted as pleasant to look at, but her spirit and being were beautiful and fair. She treated people with kindness, cared for animals, was gentle, faithful, self-controlled, good, loving…. Do these words ring a bell?
When a character is depicted as beautiful in a movie, they are often depicted as a person who, for the most part, embodies the fruit of the Spirit. And the character is often revealed as one who leads others into a restorative experience of some kind.
God is beautiful. God’s beauty restores. God’s beauty reveals. God’s beauty is ever present. God’s beauty is shared. We are created in God’s beauty and get to reveal God’s beauty.
THE PATH — PRACTICES IN NOTICING
How do we encounter God’s beauty?
Look for it. Speak to it. Thank God for it. Receive it. Practice it.
These can be practiced alone, with your family or with a group of friends. Read through the prompts below and consider how you might practice noticing and revealing the beauty of God this week.
Monday: Read Psalm 27:4
Look for beauty around you in your everyday environment. Whenever you change locations today, pause and ask, “where do I see beauty?”
Tuesday: Read Psalm 90:17
How does the work of your hands reveal the beauty of God?
How have you encountered beauty through the work of someone’s hands?
Create something beautiful: a meal, a floral arrangement, a great spreadsheet, the beauty created should evoke joy and goodness and lead to restoration in some small way.
Wednesday: Read 1 Chronicles 16:29
Think of a time when you were in awe because of beauty.
Tell the story to a friend and ask them to share a similar story.
Thursday: Read Psalm 29:2
Listen to a favorite piece of music.
As you listen, thank God for his goodness, kindness, and beauty in specific ways.
Friday: Read Psalm 96:6
Draw or take a picture of something that describes the beauty of God.
Saturday: Read 1 Chronicles 29:11
Re-write this psalm in. your own words.
Invite friends over to share a meal and encourage everyone to bring something beautiful that you’ll share with one another. Share the meal together and share stories of the beauty.